Take Back the Night
by Phirestar
Summary: What if I told you that a dream wasn't just something that your mind made up when you sleep? That it was a real world, filled with creatures who call it home?


**Chapter One:** Just Another Night's Work

A ray of orange light filtered through the windows. It was approaching the end of the day, and the sun was just able to provide enough light to see everything inside the room. Positioned in between the two large windows was a circular bed, and underneath its violet covers laid the shape of a beautiful, deep-blue alicorn princess, fast asleep. The sound of her steady breathing was the only noise that filled the room. Next to her was a nightstand, and on it was a three-pointed black tiara sat next to a necklace of the same color with the shape of a crescent moon on it. Below, four silvery-blue glass slippers were placed together on the floor.

On the other end of the room, a shadowy mist slid through the closed doors and into the bedroom. It slithered across the floor, careful to avoid being in direct sunlight, and up to the bed. It pulled itself up from the floor and above the creature sleeping. Two sinister red eyes appeared among the shadow's form and made it look ready to attack. But before it was able to do anything, the doors began to open, and the creature fled to a dark corner.

Another alicorn stepped into the room through the doorway. This one had a snow-white coat and wore a similar set of jewelry that looked like solid gold. She paced over to the bed and opened her mouth to speak.

"Luna, wake up. It's getting late and the sun is still out," she said in a calm and relaxed tone.

The slumbering alicorn, Luna, stirred as the other spoke, and she slowly pulled her head up off the pillow, turning it towards the foot of her bed. She raised a hoof to wipe the sleep out of her eye, trying to see who was standing there.

"Celestia … ?" she began, still half-asleep. "What time is it?"

Happy to see her awake, Celestia continued speaking. "Glad to see that you're finally up. I was beginning to think that you were never going to wake up and that I'd have to do your job for you."

At that moment, Luna widened her eyes, shocked to realize how late she had slept."Oh, right. Sorry," she responded, jumping out of bed and walking over to the dresser. She picked up a brush and began to fix her bed-mane. Meanwhile, Celestia was staring out the window to the city below them, Canterlot.

"Why did you sleep so long today?" she asked.

After finishing with the brush, Luna turned around to walk back over to the nightstand. But as she did, the sunlight reflected off the ground and blinded her. She raised a hoof to her face and started to rub her watery eye.

"Why does your sun always have to be so bright, even this late into the evening," she replied in annoyance.

Celestia simply smiled and walked towards the doors leading out into the hallway. "I'll be waiting for you outside," she said.

Luna paced over to her bed and finished getting ready. She slipped on her shoes, placed the necklace around her neck and the tiara on her head behind her horn. It may be time for the rest of Equestria to go to sleep, but for her, it was the beginning of the day, in a sense. She hurried out into the hallway after Celestia. When the two caught up, they continued walking up a flight of stairs. At the top, they found themselves standing on top of a balcony over-looking the town below.

The two alicorns stood there for a few moments, looking out across the land. The last few bits of sunlight were beginning to fade, making the world beneath them darker. Observing the town, Luna could see that everypony had left the streets and was likely at home.

"I suppose they're all eagerly waiting for me to start the night ..." she began. But as she spoke, the sound of a yawn came out from behind her, and Luna turned to see Celestia slowly blinking her eyes. "... including my sister," she finished.

The two sisters stood side-by-side, with Celestia facing the sun and Luna in the opposite direction. Both of them closed their eyes and a magical aura appeared around their horns, making them glow. The sun began to sink behind the hills that surrounded Canterlot, causing the light to slowly fade up until the point that it would be impossible to see anything. However, at the same moment on the opposite horizon, the moon appeared, casting its silvery glow through the air. Once it was just high enough to see completely, the moon stopped, marking the start of nighttime.

After opening her eyes again, Celestia turned to make her exit, and as she did, she heard her sister say, "Rest, my sister. As always, I shall guard the night."

Once her sister left, Luna turned and stood there for a moment, admiring the beauty of the light shining off the moon onto everything below. A minute or two later, she took a step back and crouched down to the floor. Unfolding her wings, she gave a hard push and propelled herself up into the air, before soaring out into the night.

Meanwhile, back in Luna's room, the shadow crept out from underneath the bed and out into the open. It began to morph its shape, making itself a silhouette of the princess. It walked over to the window, and when it saw that the sun was nowhere to be found, it narrowed its eyes sinisterly and made its way out into the rest hall.


End file.
